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PRC Newsletter Christmas 2018

Contents Origin Page

Editorial Some Old Guy 2

Who are we now? The Same Old Guy 3

Sole Sisters Sue Cordrey 5

Classified Advertisement Tungincheek® 6

P.R.A.T. Award Alf Tupper 7

Club Handicapper Tungincheek® 11

Good Days and Bad Days Hannah Howard 13

Herb’s Twisters: Deceit Robert Newcome* 15

Member Profile Ronnie Hordell 17

Walt’s Wit: Benefit Claim Different Old Guy 23

Snapshots A life in the Day of 24

Newsround Paphos Post Reports 26

Bikes Steelie 39

Contacts Sue Cordrey 39

*Robert is an Author (Also a friend and a Management Consultant)

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Editorial

I cannot apologise enough for the unacceptably long delay in bringing you this

Newsletter, which is due entirely to circumstances beyond my control. One of my

most reliable sources (the identity of whom my integrity prevents me from revealing),

has let me down very badly, as you will realise when you read the Paphos Runners

Alf Tupper (P.R.A.T.) Award.

Those of you who know me will know I would never blame anyone else when

something goes wrong, which is why I have been telling people that the reason for

the delay is because I didn’t take a back-up and lost the almost completed draft

Newsletter document due to my hard drive crashing on the 12th of June at 10:32 am,

when my laptop fell over on the marble floor of the Greek hotel room.

Of course I know for sure nobody will believe that – I mean how could they after my

30 year career in the IT industry – but I felt it was better to tell a little white lie rather

than point the finger at Chris Coleman.

Articles

We have what will probably be the only profile ever from a member with three

replacement hips; A summary of her so-called “terrible” season by a Commonwealth

Games athlete; A look at who we have become over the last two years; A sideways

appreciation of our long-suffering Club Handicapper; A short story with a twist (a

regular feature?), as well as of course the usual sprinkling of lame jokes!

A big personal thank you from me to Hannah Howard, Ronnie Hordell and Barry

Walton, all of whom have contributed to the content of this Newsletter, so it would

be really helpful if a few more people could send me something for the next issue.

Goodwill

As the season of Goodwill gets into full swing, we look back with immense

satisfaction and a great deal of pride on another very successful year for the club, and

forward with even greater optimism for 2019 than we had for 2018!

With all the political mayhem in the World, now seems like a very good time for us

all to focus on building bridges by drawing a line under whatever misgivings we may

have felt about anyone, and instead channel our energies into putting a smile on the

face of those less fortunate than ourselves.

On behalf of Paphos Running Club therefore, may I wish everyone who reads this, a

Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year.

Steelie

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Who are we now?

Although this is quite a large group, it is less than half our total membership.

The much improved “Fluo PRC” has been under new management for 2 years, so I

thought it worth reminding ourselves and others of who we now are, given the

amazingly positive transformation we have undergone since the beginning of 2017:

We are a happy bunch of ??????????? Ooooops, sorry, that just sounds way too tacky

doesn’t it so I will start again ☺:

Something For Everyone

Paphos Running Club is not just another running club. Yes of course, most of us do

actually run, and very successful we are at it too, on both local and International

stages, but our prowess on two feet is not all that defines us.

Socially, we are a very welcoming and gregarious bunch, as many visitors to Paphos

have testified on the pages of Facebook, but that is hardly surprising if you consider

that we are very proud to count amongst our number people from Russia, Norway,

Sweden, S. Africa, Canada and Belgium, plus a few from Southern Europe, as well as

many Brits, including people from Orkney, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Apart from runners, cyclists and tri-athletes, we also have an impressive range of

talent and expertise to call upon with several members from the medical profession,

pilots and helicopter pilots, engineers, sales people, household name actors,

internationally acclaimed authors, financial consultants, prominent management

consultants, supply-chain consultants (don’t ask, I have absolutely no idea), several

very useful people with building trades, qualified running coaches, a tennis coach,

and even the current official Dragon Boat Coach for the Cyprus National Team.

On the off-chance you may ever fancy jumping out of a perfectly serviceable airplane,

you could always seek advice from our resident paratrooper – although knowing

him, I strongly recommend that under no circumstances should you follow it ☺.

Getting back to our core activity involving two feet for a moment, there are several

racing snakes in our midst with some prolific winners of age group categories

amongst them, including even the current S. African 20km Race Walk Champion.

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We are especially proud of our thriving ladies-only section, “Sole Sisters”, which

welcomes ladies of all ages and all abilities, and which has proven itself to be

something of a jewel in our crown. To be honest, the camaraderie within this section

has put us men to shame, but we are very pleased that their buoyant effect on the

whole club has been substantial.

A Recent Sole Sisters Outing

As you can probably tell therefore we do quite a bit of running, but we also ride bikes,

go swimming, walking, playing tennis, sailing, paddling canoes and other craft, and

tackle ultra-marathons and obstacle course challenges.

Fear not though, we do also have a few normal people in our midst, but they normally

tend to do normal things. Normally.

Two thirds of our membership is female, and about half our number are relatively

new to running, having taken it up within the last couple of years, so whatever your

running ability, you can be assured you will be amongst like-minded friends.

We meet for breakfast every Saturday morning in the Frog and Toad at 9am, after

having a mixed ability run and possibly also a swim, and this is always a great

opportunity to take the p have a good laugh. Another important programme is our

season-long points series of handicap “races”, cleverly designed so that even the

slowest amongst us can win. For example, “races” include pace judgement which

involves running 2 laps of a circuit without a watch, the winner being the one whose

lap times are closest to each other; or running a loop and guessing the distance, the

winner being the one whose guess is closest to the actual distance; or running a loop

and forecasting what time you will do it in, the winner being the one nearest their

forecast, etc.

Paphos Running Club – not just your average running club!

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Sole Sisters

Now well into our very successful second year, Sole Sisters is going from strength to

strength with some ladies already training for their first half marathon - no mean feat

having only started running a year ago!

The slower ladies are always given lots of encouragement from the faster and more

experienced runners, and we are looking forward to welcoming many more ladies to

the group in 2019.

Linda, Sue, Janet, Katie

Janet and Lisa

Anna

Carol

Sue

Jenny

Jackie

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Tungincheek® Article

Classified Advertisements

Personal:

Slim-ish, elderly, clean-shaven professional gentleman with silly bike seeks 3rd lung

or similar performance enhancing device (EPO, blood-doping and heart transplant

paraphernalia also considered) which will enable him to reach the café in Kathikas

before his friends Nic, Ian, and Janet are on their 3rd Frappe.

GSOH, own transport, smiley demeanour (awaiting new Dentures), enjoys watching

suspense movies that keep you guessing right up to the very end (like The Dam

Busters, Battle of Britain, Titanic, etc.), foreign travel and fine dining (Fish suppers

and Guinness). Does all his own stunts, including a very recent drowning impression,

and can hold his stomach in for almost a full minute!

PS. Please send photograph of lung and ideally, its “Camebak-Style” carrying case.

Electrical Goods:

Small but powerful re-chargeable electric motor urgently wanted for a confidential

private project. Must be silent, light in weight, and able to fit into a small metal tube

or bicycle hub. Preferably undetectable by X-Ray, but due to urgency, anything

considered.

NOTE: In strictest confidence, name and address withheld.

Miss O. Jenny

I was in the pub when I overheard a couple of plonkers agreeing they would not feel safe on an aircraft if they knew the pilot was a woman! How sexist is that!

Can you believe that in this day and age, with women succeeding in almost every walk of life, people can still be so unaware of how bigoted and misogynistic they are!

I’m so glad I am not hypocritical like that, I mean, it’s not as if she’d have to reverse the thing now is it?

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Paphos Runners Alf Tupper (PRAT) Award:

This award goes to the Club member who demonstrates the greatest ability to endure hardship or adversity whilst training for or competing in an event, since the previous Newsletter.

As always, essential qualities include foolhardy behaviour and dogged determination, ideally against overwhelming odds, with of course, a very generous slice of stupidity!

This time, especially after the hard-fought competitions we have seen in all previous Newsletters, I confess I was

Alf Tupper (Tough of The Track)

relying on one particular member to win the award, given the consistency with which

he has always distinguished himself for Herculean achievements against all odds.

At first the signs were all good, so with events like the Two Castles, the Comrades

and the North Downs ultras in his calendar, I was confident that at some point Chris

Coleman would deliver the goods!

Broken Toe

There were other early contenders of course. Having persevered through nine weeks of Sole Sister Boot Camp, Julia Bawden managed to break her toe just before the 5km qualification “Carrot Cake” run. Undeterred, and clearly motivated primarily by the lure of Carrot Cake at the finish, Julia hobbled around the testing 5km course without so much as a murmur of complaint.

Well, more or less, but all credit to her anyway, and to be fair. not a bad first attempt at the PRAT award, albeit not quite up to standard I’m afraid Julia!

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Optimism

I was optimistic however that Chris Coleman would not let me down in the 91km

Comrades run in South Africa, billed as the “Ultimate Human Race”, but despite the

extreme heat it was not to be.

Not only did he finish without mishap, he was fastest over 70 by a very healthy margin, finishing in under 9 hours to beat 16,000 of the 19,000 athletes entered!

Slightly unnerved by yet another outstanding performance, I now had to pin all my hopes on his attempt at the North Downs 100 mile event in early August, already extending the due date for the Newsletter.

As the event date approached I reassured myself with visions of Chris hobbling across the finish line after 100 miles, one arm in plaster, wearing a surgical boot and using a crutch, having fallen into a ravine within a mile of the start.

But again he let me down, storming through the finish to break the age record by 21 minutes, muttering something about going faster next year!

,

Chris Coleman, here seen looking far too cheerful for my liking, on his way to one of his many wins this season!

In fairness to Chris, he did eventually develop some problem with his heel, probably

feeling guilty that he had let me down so badly, but to be honest, I think he is being a

bit of a wimp about it!

The up-side is that although he cannot run, he can still ride a bike. Don’t let on, but

being “helpful” I recently raised Chris’s saddle for him on the pretext that it would

damage his knees if I didn’t. He can now barely reach the pedals never mind the

ground, so having seen him ride I am biding my time ☺.

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“Friends”

You know the saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”? Well, whether they

realised my Alf Tupper predicament and were trying to help, or were motivated

purely by self-interest and were simply out to win the coveted PRAT award for

themselves, I don’t really know, but several “friends” came in with late bids.

Sue Cordrey, having managed to stay upright throughout 40 marathons in her career, comically threw herself onto the tarmac in full view of everyone during the Carrot Cake run, sustaining minor abrasions to her leg, shoulder and hand. Much appreciated Sue, thanks for trying to help, but REALLY???

Hannah Howard claimed she was sick on day 3 of the International 4-Day, yet in her so-called “terrible” season, during which as you will read elsewhere, she represented the Isle of Man in the Commonwealth Games, she still managed to win the ladies event and lift copious amounts of silverware into the bargain. Sorry Hannah – nice try, but not convincing.

Even less convincing was Janet Sutherland who fell off her bike – get this – going UPHILL!

Try downhill next time Janet, and you’d be in with a chance, but at least that was better than hubby Nic Sutherland who went on an ex-army rambling weekend with a day-pack and claimed he had strained his Achilles, even going to the lengths of doing a presentation about it at the club meeting! (Per-Leez!).

But at least they tried, whereas my so-called friend Ian Hines came up with nothing. He didn’t put a foot wrong all season, breezed through ultras in the Lake District, even rode a bike race in the UK, and . . . Nothing! Zilch! Zipp!

Here we see Ian pretending to try hard but clearly fooling nobody!

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Saved by the Belle

By late November, as you may imagine, I was in panic mode, but then fortunately,

catastrophe struck!

Allan Deveraux, whilst removing his cap and

smoothing down his hair for an in-flight photo

call half way through the 4 Day Challenge 10km

race, accidentally broke an eyelash!

Like a true pro he soldiered on and even

recorded a PB (46:30), but the damage was done.

As he crossed the line, uncharacteristically not

blowing kisses to his fan, a gasp of concern rose

from the crowd when the full extent of his injury

became apparent.

Shunning medical attention, he put a brave face

on it, but we who know him could tell that the

experience had shaken him to the core.

Within weeks he had sold his beautiful house

in Sea Caves and left the country. (OK, OK,

perhaps it was only to go on yet another luxury

cruise, but who is telling this story?)

Last I heard he was renting a place in Pegeia,

which I trust conveys the depth of his despair.

So Allan, if you are reading this, please seek

medical attention, I believe there is a new

experimental procedure for healing broken

eyelashes which has a very encouraging 20%

success rate.

Life will never be quite the same again, we all

understand that, but with good counselling, you

can do it! We believe in you Allan.

Allan – Clearly in Great Pain!

Alf Tupper

So, with Allan Deveraux we were well and truly saved by the Belle! We also have

undoubtedly the most worthy winner of the PRAT award we have ever had, so get

well soon Allan, we are all behind (Oooops) supporting you!

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A Tungincheek® Article:

The Club Handicapper

There can be few more important, or indeed more onerous roles in any club, than the

Club Handicapper.

This is the one individual in the club whose spirit of fair play must, without prejudice,

transcend all other relationships and associations with individual members, to ensure

the unassailable credibility of the all-important, hotly-contested, season-long race

series which is the essential competitive glue holding any club together.

Without the Handicapper’s judgement, intuition, integrity and uncanny ability to

assess current form, many clubs would simply not survive the divisive acrimonious

tide of favouritism and nepotism which would surely ensue, if for example, the

handicapper’s spouse was to be at the top of the table!

We therefore, in Paphos Running Club, are extremely fortunate to have in our midst

a Club Handicapper who in my considerable experience is second to none. He is

immune to bribery and un-swayed by flattery – such as flowery pieces in the Club

Newsletter singing his praises for example - and clearly the malicious rumours about

drug-taking when he was a competitive cyclist are almost totally unfounded, so

nobody will hear the sordid details from me, Alan.

When you sit down and think about it, it is all about the rapport and trust Alan has been able to establish amongst the membership really isn’t it?

His years of devoted service to the Club have cemented his (as yet) untarnished reputation as one of our eldest statesmen, to whom we can all turn for advice and guidance, like a kindly colleague in the twilight of his career.

Here we see Alan in typical pose, shrewdly (but also sympathetically, I feel sure) assimilating the information that with my current dismal form I would struggle to average 8 minutes a kilometre in the next handicap event.

Our Highly Esteemed Handicapper

Allahn Alan Baugh Isn’t that right Alan? Integrity and Trust. The cornerstones of any relationship, don’t

you agree Alan? Where would we be without it, Alan? It doesn’t bear thinking about

does it, Alan? (8 minutes a kilometre, Alan.)

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Tree Points O’ Th’ Guinness Having worked in the big city all his life, Seamus retired to a delightful little village in the West of Ireland. The very first night he was there he went to the pub and spoke to the barman, who incidentally was called Sean. (For clarification, I will denote each comment with the individual’s initial.)

S: “Tree points O’ th’ Guinness please”

S: “Tree points?”

S: “Tree”

Assuming this stranger had a couple of friends joining him, Sean dutifully drew three pints of Guinness – never a quick process – by which time still nobody else had joined the stranger. This happened again the next night, and every night for a week, at which point the regulars had become so curious that they asked Sean to ask Seamus why he always ordered three pints.

S: “Why always th’ tree points Seamus?”

S: “Ah well, oi’ve got two brothers, one works on th’ oil rigs and th’other lives in Canada, so as we don’t see each other much, we always have a point for each other when we are in th’ pub”

Sean relayed that back to the regulars, who were naturally satisfied that was a very reasonable thing to do. One night however, Seamus came into the bar looking a bit downhearted and said:

S: “Two points O’ th’ Guinness please Sean”

S: “Two points?”

S: “Two”

The same thing happened every night for a week, so there was much consternation amongst the regulars, and again they asked Sean to ask Seamus why he now only ordered two pints.

S: “Seamus, we’s all worried about why you’s now only orderin’ th’ two points – has som’ting happened to one O’ th’ brothers?”

S: “No, no Sean, they’s both fine t’anks, it’s me-self, oi’ve given up th’ drink”

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Good Days and Bad Days: Hannah Howard

We all know this scenario, only too well, don’t we?

Some days, some weeks, and if we are exceptionally lucky, some whole seasons go really well for us. Of course, the opposite is also true, unfortunately.

This season, Chris Coleman is “flying”, Ian Hines also seems to be back to his best form, and Janet Sutherland has found the overdrive button, knocking minutes off her PB’s in almost every outing.

Two years ago however, Chris was unable to run at all, dogged by an Achilles injury, Ian’s knee had given way, resulting in almost a whole season lost, and just last spring, Janet was struggling with a virus which dogged her for months.

Hannah Howard

Only last year, it seemed like Hannah Howard couldn’t fail at whatever she attempted, her season was littered with PBs and glittering performances generally, but this year the reverse has been the norm for her.

When that happens, most of us just crawl off into a corner and lick our wounds – metaphorically speaking of course – I mean to actually do that would be rather gross would it not, especially if one were suffering from a groin strain or something involving suppurating sores perhaps?

Hmmmmm . . . . sorry . . . . where was I?

Ah yes, Hannah Howard, whom as you will see from her letter below, is clearly made of sterner stuff than most of us!

Here she bravely tells us about her terrible season, a season in which despite battling adversity, she still managed to represent the Isle of Man in the Commonwealth Games Half Marathon, recording a very respectable time of 87 minutes, albeit some 6 minutes off last year’s PB, and to repeat her winning performance in the Cyprus International 4-Day:

“I've had a terrible summer with my running. At one point I went out to the New Forest for a run, got half a mile out and actually had to sit down and rest for 10 minutes because I was so tired.

It was awful. However, late in August I found out that the Isle of Man would be sending a team to the inaugural Commonwealth Half Marathon in Cardiff and so I made my

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pitch for selection and was picked (based on history rather than current performance). Hopefully 8 weeks was enough to get fit enough to get round a half!

A very tough time ensued, and there were many moments I thought this would be impossible. Everything continued to go wrong, including massive insect bites, blisters, and then the weekend of the race I came down with a horrible cold.

Staying in the elite hotel was an amazing experience, with the friendliest team being the New Zealanders. Warming up with all the internationals along the ramparts of Cardiff Castle was completely surreal, especially given that my cold meant I was so dizzy I really thought I might fall over!

I did make it to the start line however, the gun went, and the adrenaline flowed, but I was incredibly sensible and let everyone swarm past me, just focusing on plodding through. I had promised my coach I would get to the finish line, even if I had to crawl, and I made it! Not a fast time, but still a massive leap forwards from where I'd been 2 months earlier - and very glad to have completed it.

Thank you all for your support, and just a reminder to seize every opportunity you get, even if your ego says it is not going to turn out quite how you wanted it.”

Hannah Howard

Well done Hannah, most of us would be ecstatic at “plodding through” a half marathon

in 87 minutes – as you put it – and of course having now seen you again in the recent

Cyprus International 4 day, your “Terrible” season continued with you again securing

first place overall in the ladies competition, despite tummy trouble on the third - and

toughest - day of the event.

De Nile (a river in Egypt)

Wife (proudly): Look honey, I wore this 20 years ago when we were first dating, and it still fits!

Husband: It’s a scarf!

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Herb’s “Twisters”: Deceit

“I know, of course, what you’re up to.”

Patrick Bentley was alone with Polly Jenkins 48 hours before she was due to marry his father Reginald.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Polly, it’s pretty obvious isn’t it? Why would an attractive 35 year old woman like you want to marry a wealthy, frail old man in his eighties?”

Polly, once a glamour model, with implausible curves and a permanently tanned face looked aggrieved. “No, Pat,” she said, “I love Reggie from the bottom of my heart.”

“Well, as you know, he may not have long to live so I fear your love may be short.”

“Then I’ll just have to enjoy what time we can have together while it lasts.”

Patrick had to admit that in the year Polly had been living with Reginald she’d cared for him with an impressive devotion. Yes, she was almost certainly a gold-digger - but it was just conceivable that she had indeed developed some kind of affection for the old man.

The wedding would be a small affair. In the five years since Margaret had died Reginald had led a quiet life and wanted no fuss; just a quick ceremony in the registry office and some drinks afterwards at the local pub.

“Well,” said Patrick, “tomorrow I’ll make sure all the paperwork is in order. As we’ve discussed, it’s Reginald’s wish that his investments go to you should he pass away.”

“Oh, he’s such a kind man …”

But the following day Patrick had some bad news. “Polly, I’m afraid you need to prepare yourself for a shock. Dad doesn’t feel he can go ahead with the marriage.”

“What? Whaaaat? No!” Polly shouted out the word. “No, that can’t be, that can’t be true.”

“I’m afraid it is. I’ve just come from talking to him. It seems he’s come to the realisation that it would be somehow disrespectful to Margaret’s memory if he were to marry again.”

Suddenly the sweet Polly with the kind demeanour turned into a screaming maniac.

“It’s you isn’t it? It’s you, you bastard, you’ve turned him against me.” She launched herself at Patrick. “I’ve looked after that miserable old bugger for a year,” she yelled, “I’ve cooked for him, I’ve listened to his boring ramblings, I’ve watched his ruddy TV programmes. I’ve even slept with the ugly old sod. I want my bloody reward.”

Patrick held her off until her wild flailings subsided. “I think we both now know what your true feelings for Reginald are,” he said calmly.

Later, with Polly gone, he sat with his father.

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“How did she take it?” asked Reginald.

“Badly. She actually tried to punch me.”

“So, worse than the others?”

“I’d say so.”

“I thought she might turn nasty. Anyway, you’d better start the search for the next one.”

“You know, Dad, one of these days we’re actually going to have to hire a professional carer.”

Reginald smiled. “What? And pay a grand a week with no added benefits?”

***More Stories by this author can be found on:***

herbs500words.wordpress.com

By Contrast, a Heart-Warming Romantic Tale at Christmas:

A married couple were Christmas shopping. The shopping centre was packed, and as the wife walked through one of the malls she was surprised when she looked around to find that her husband was nowhere to be seen.

Upset because they had a lot to do, she became so concerned that she called him on her mobile phone and in an irritated tone asked him where he was. In a quiet voice he replied:

"Do you remember the jewellers we went into about five years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace with the intertwined hearts that we

couldn't afford, and I told you that I would get it for you one day?"

The wife, now feeling remorseful at the uncharitable way she had snapped at her husband, choked up and with tears forming in her eyes, she gently said:

"Yes darling, I do remember that shop."

To which he replied:

"Well, I'm in the bar next door!”

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Member Profile: Ronnie Hordell

Our subject this time is a very modest, caring, thoughtful, unassuming, but also clearly a very accomplished lady.

For example, she mentions her first race, omitting to mention that she won her age group, preferring instead to allude to the sense of occasion surrounding the high profile event itself.

“Carpe Diem” seems to be Ronnie’s (AKA Veronica) philosophy on life, as she turns her hand to, and makes a good go of, whatever opportunity comes along, including canoeing, ice skating, politics, social work, and raising four children!

Her story spans 8 decades and makes fascinating reading, so I am sure you will agree that we are very fortunate to have Ronnie on the PRC team!

Early Life

My life's journey began in 1943 in a hospital that had formerly been a Victorian workhouse and my earliest memory is of being taken, as a small child, to a smelly public air raid shelter, dressed in a

Ronnie Hordell

"siren suit" fashioned from an old blanket. As it was during the Second World War, my childhood, as everyone's, was overshadowed by post war austerity. This manifested itself as squares of newspaper in the outside loo, washing at the kitchen sink, weekly bath water heated in a gas fired copper, hand knitted socks and vests, and rationing!

But, there were forgotten pleasures as well (Editor: I thought they were the pleasures!), such as bread toasted over the fire - the coal smoke added a certain something, endless street games, dens built in bomb sites, the excitement at the first taste of unfamiliar foods such as bananas, oranges and chocolate in addition to the unknown luxury of chicken!

Schooldays

Brighton was a great town in which to grow up. Although money was in short supply, there were free entertainments in the numerous parks, very good museum and public library, the beach and Race Day, when everyone filled the buses to spill out onto a packed race track.

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Along with all my friends I sat the 11 plus exam and became the only one to pass to the local Grammar School, which laboured under the misconception that it was a minor Public School! Thus started a period of great unhappiness for me, of class distinction, petty restrictions and strict uniform rules requiring a fortune to purchase it from the exclusive, carpeted shop.

Although reasonably successful at my studies, I never achieved anything more than dire failure at all sport and games, due in part to a lack of appropriate sportswear and equipment.

In the fullness of time I avoided going to school whenever possible and became adept at amusing myself hanging around the Town Centre or Seafront. Understandably, the school took a dim view of my lack of gratitude for the opportunities to learn made available to me and punished me, by expelling me a few days before I should have taken my GCEs. So, I left that elitist establishment without a qualification to prove I'd ever spent time in their company!

Marriage and Children

While working at one of the many jobs I held for varying lengths of time I met my future husband on a blind date. He held the impressive title of Internal Auditor whilst I was a humble Clerk, but he succumbed to my charms, despite the fact he was about to leave for a new life in Australia, and we eventually married.

Three children later, I had slipped into the role of football widow and any spare time I had was spent washing kit, standing on the side-lines in freezing cold or supporting my husband in his footballing endeavours.

University More Children

However, my lack of academic qualifications started to rankle, so I attended part time classes to study the requisite three A levels needed to pass through the portals of further education into the hallowed halls of Sussex University or Teachers Training College.

Strangely, having been accepted at University, a huge wave of broodiness enveloped me and nothing became as important to me as my desire to have a fourth child! Ever the obliging partner, my long suffering other half agreed to my requests for fulfilment and hence my sparkling career in Academia never came to fruition!

Politics

Being the mother of four didn't hinder my interest in politics and my desire to fight the injustices I felt existed. As a result, there followed a period of active involvement in local politics, even opening our home to be committee rooms at election time. Evenings spent in meetings, hours spent addressing envelopes by hand, knocking up on election days with offers of lifts to the polling station and suffering abuse from

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potential voters upset at having their evenings’ television viewing interrupted, became the norm.

Community Work

Slowly becoming disillusioned at the lack of effectiveness of these tactics, I turned to community work with a more hands on approach, running youth clubs for the local hoodlums, a playgroup (a very new concept then) for the budding hoodlums, and involvement with an adventure playground in one of Brighton's most deprived areas. This required nerves of steel and eyes in the back of the head, all of which I loved with a passion, and spent many, many happy hours pursuing.

Our growing family was in need of a larger home, so we upped sticks and moved to another part of suburban Brighton and a new life slowly unfolded for me.

For the first time in 13 years of marriage I found myself gainfully employed. Social Services had seen fit to employ me as Officer in Charge of one of their Children's Homes. A very hectic time then ensued with children in my care coming and going with varying degrees of success and benefit from their Care Order. Some of these children grew to become useful members of society achieving great things, while others, very sadly, failed to shrug off the mantle of failure that "Being in Care" bestows on many.

Having decided I had given my all, I pursued other aspects of Social Work. Over the years I had the satisfaction of working with Families in Crisis, helping with Home Care, setting up groups for families living in Bed and Breakfast and Asian Women and Children. I ran Summer Play Schemes, opened a Toy Library, assisted the Community Occupational Therapist, was a Residential Social Worker for Adults with Special Needs, and assessed people's needs and requirements. Eventually, with budget cuts making life difficult, I took the easy option and left to work with men and women that had been blinded in service to their country, handling their financial affairs for them, until my retirement at 58.

Physical Fitness

Although a total failure in the area of physical achievement at school, I discovered quite early on as an adult, the pleasure of keeping fit. I was a yoga devotee for many years, at a time when it was still regarded as a bit of a hippy dippy pastime, involving hours of sitting crossed legged and navel gazing.

I enjoyed swimming (with head projecting from the water) and must have tried every type of keep fit routine from club swinging to punishing Callanetics, but the first time I found I could really hold my own was in a canoe or kayak.

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Canoeing

Our children had joined a club which started to disintegrate and begged us for help, so Mike became Chairman and I was appointed general dogsbody. Within a short time I found myself taking part in the activities on the water and found an interest that appealed to me. As it was mainly on the sea, it had elements that appealed to most adrenalin junkies as well as the opportunity to just have fun and be a big kid.

I learned to canoe surf, an activity that could be thrilling at times and we also took trips on sea and river that could mean overnight camping. I tried my hand at slalom, but lacked the upper body strength needed to be successful, and had to satisfy myself by taking pleasure from watching others instead. Most days, excluding Christmas Day, found us messing about in the water, enjoying ourselves and keeping kids and adults engaged in something we considered a healthy pursuit and fun.

Ice Skating

The only other sport I discovered that suited me was the result of taking our youngest daughter ice skating. After watching her lessons for some weeks she suggested that I tried. Amazingly, probably because I had been watching her for so long, I stepped onto the ice and found I could skate! So, I was immediately hooked and wanted to learn all the fancy stuff, an ambition that was harder to realise than I had imagined. Eventually, I had the opportunity to skate daily as I ran the Rink Cafe, so during quiet times I spent hours perfecting my moves! After taking lessons, I had my own programme to practise including spins and geriatric jumps. Ice skating became my passion, but was cut short by a move away from Brighton.

Retirement

Following retirement, we took off in our much loved caravan to explore Scandinavia for a month, returning 5 months later, due to the death of my mother. After sorting her affairs, our home on wheels took us to Spain and Portugal for a further several months and a new interest had been born. For the following 6 years, the Summer months found us touring exciting places such as Eastern Europe, the Baltic's, or wherever else took our fancy and in winter we headed for Spain.

Our Spanish sojourns offered more opportunity to try new things. Spanish sites offer things such as line dancing, pétanque, belly dancing, crafting of various kinds, walking and even the weird game of horse shoes! I tried it all with varying degrees of success but relished the opportunity to have a go. Whilst in Spain, we parked our metal box on a site and rented an apartment in Majorca where our daughter and family were living, to spend 18 months on that beautiful island. In between helping our daughter and son in law with their businesses, we joined a brand new gym and naturally I immediately became a gym bunny, starting my days to the mantra of no pain, no gain! Oddly, although I used all the equipment, I only ever walked on the running machine, thinking that with my creaking hips I couldn't run. Little did I know what was in store for me, further down the line!

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Cyprus

Returning to England we settled into a more gentile pace of life with daily walks and more time spent with our family of 4 and 12 grandchildren and taking our trusty van away for a few weeks at a time visiting some of the glorious destinations in Britain.

This very pleasurable lifestyle would have continued uninterrupted, but again, our daughter decided to move, this time to Cyprus. Again, we booked a flight to spend 6 weeks helping her settle in to her new home while her partner settled into his job in Saudi Arabia. Shortly after our arrival, Aphrodite's Island worked its magic on us and we decided to rent an apartment for a year.

Running

3 years later I started running simply to undertake a new challenge, never expecting to want to continue beyond the final 5k. But, I find that I just love the sense of achievement I experience each time I manage to run a bit more than previously. Also, the knowledge that I am hopefully maximising my life expectancy, (all the time I manage to stay injury free) is a powerful motivation tool.

It began because fate took a hand when I responded to a post on FaceBook and became a member of Sole Sisters. Encouraged by the incredibly patient and reassuring Sue and her helpers, I started on the journey of trying to run. With no natural ability and age working against me it is a slow process and sometimes feels like one step forward and two steps back, but I'm getting there! So, it was with a deep sense of gratitude I became a full member of Paphos Running Club.

First Race

As a novice runner, I can say very little about my running history, but no matter what the future may bring, I will always feel my first run was my most memorable. I really had a sense of being part of history in the making, with the President and other dignitaries in attendance at the renaming of the Paphos Stadium. It was also my worst, as I had underestimated the problem that a badly ingrown toenail would cause me on a long slow climb uphill and had a big toe screaming in agony by the end!

Footwear

At the moment I'm wearing a pair of Asics shoes, which seem to meet my needs and a humble pair of Karrimor trail shoes for use over rougher terrain. Maybe, in time, I'll invest in something else, but at present, I don't make huge demands of my footwear, just allow me to keep moving. I'm enjoying our tri weekly runs but don't feel ready yet to take part in speed training and perhaps I never will. I am happy to leave the glory chasing to others better suited to achieving good results.

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Other Interests

I have been learning Tai Chi for quite a while and once a week help my teacher by demonstrating the moves with her to teach a group of people with mixed disabilities. In addition to this, I take part in relaxation sessions which often find me gently snoring (so they must work) and I still look forward to our daily walks and am finding new ones as a result of running.

I spend one morning a week as a volunteer in a charity shop, which is a great opportunity to meet different people, as well as helping the charity.

I have always been an avid reader, enjoying a wide variety of genres but particularly historical fiction. As long as I feel I've learnt something from a book, I'm happy, either from the country or time it's set in or even the lifestyle I know nothing of. My days of only reading that which is regarded as good literature are long gone, I now appreciate anything that is well written.

My musical tastes are very eclectic too. Probably the only thing that I won't listen to is Country and Western and even then a drop of Shania Twain or Johnny Cash can change my mind. I find opera hard going other than the well known arias. I even fell asleep on one occasion watching a performance of Rigoletto by the English Opera Company, much to the disgust of my husband!

I love live theatre, ballet and musical theatre, although a bit limited since living in Cyprus, but I really enjoy the productions at Stage One.

Bucket List

My bucket list has got shorter over the years but still features a visit to Iceland, India and Australia. Also I would love to do a parachute jump but it would have to be a tandem jump as I wouldn't have the courage to actually step out!

Reviewing my life, I'm not sure of what I would regard as my greatest achievement. There have been many small things that I have been immensely proud of at the time. At present I'm just grateful to have lived long enough to have enjoyed a good life and to wake up each day looking forward to what the day might bring.

Favourite Food

My favourite meal is Indian with all the tasty trimmings - pickles, raita etc. But, after years of cooking family meals, the novelty has worn a little thin. So, anything that has been prepared by someone else, including a simple sandwich, tastes like ambrosia!

Improving PRC

Does PRC need improving? I can't imagine why. I have never encountered such a

warm, welcoming group of people in my entire life and a lot of this is clearly

committee led. It seems to me that there is opportunity for anyone and everyone to

achieve their own personal goals at a pace of their choosing.

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Walt’s Wit: The Benefit Claim

The following is a translation of a letter received via AirMail:

Dear Sir/Madam

Many years ago, I married a widow out of love who had an 18-year-old daughter by her previous marriage.

After the wedding, my father, a widower, came to visit a number of times, and he fell in love with my step-daughter. My father eventually married her without my authorisation. As a result, my step-daughter legally became my step-mother and my father my son-in-law.

My father's wife (also my step-daughter) and my step-mother, gave birth to a son who is my grandchild because I am the husband of my step-daughter's mother. This boy is also my brother, as the son of my father. As you can see, my wife became a grandmother, because she is the mother of my father's wife. Therefore, it appears that I am also my wife's grandchild.

A short time after these events, my wife gave birth to a son, who became my father's brother-in-law, the step-son of my father's wife, and my uncle. My son is also my step-mother's brother, and through my step-mother, my wife has become a grandmother and I have become my own grandfather.

In light of the aforementioned, I would like to know the following:-

Does my son, who is also my uncle, my father's son-in-law, and my step-mother's brother, fulfil the requirements for receiving childcare benefits?

Sincerely yours,

(Name and address withheld)

The Response:

Dear Sir

On the information provided I am certain you will be entitled to substantial Universal Credit, but I strongly advise that you need to be in the UK before 29th March 2019, because after that date, providing you and your dependents with housing and free medical care could be a lot more difficult.

Take care rowing across the Channel.

Jeremy C. MP Westminster

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Snapshots:

A few random glimpses into the life in a day of Paphos Running Club:

Kevin Phillips:

S. Africa 20km (50+) Race Walk Champion

Sue Baugh:

Nailing a 59:08 PB

No Comment!

Sunday Run Left to Right:

Ian Nic

Thecla Allan Jenny Paul

Elspeth Carol Lee

Janet

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Gill and Paul

The Team Swim Round The Island

Alexei

Angie

Allahn Baugh-Rain

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Newsround: Paphos Post Reports

Quite a lot this time, due to the long delay in producing this Newsletter, but all

positive uplifting stuff I am sure you will agree ☺!

February 2018: Springing into Action!

We started 2018 with age group wins and many other impressive performances,

and will again this year be strongly represented in the Logicom events on Sunday

4th March, so look out for us in Paphos Harbour on Sunday!

21st January: Pervolia Half-Marathon

After a week of inclement weather, our intrepid team took advantage of good conditions for this well organised event:

Dave Dowd 1:33:40 1st M70 Nigel Radcliffe 2:03:50 1st M65 Anthi Demetriou 1:59:54 4th F40

18th February: Akamas Blossom Trail Runs

We competed in all events (7km, 21kms, 50kms) with an abundance of Sole Sisters resplendent in fluorescent yellow very much in evidence. Simon Rogers (the course designer), came an excellent sixth overall at 50kms with a time of 5h:25m, with Nic Sutherland, completing 21kms in an impressive 2h:34m.

For those of us running the extremely tough but rewardingly beautiful 7km event, the sunshine was a bonus after the storms of previous days!

Sole Sisters

The next wave of this very successful, non-competitive health initiative for ladies of all ages is underway, so for more information, contact Sue Cordrey on +357-9763-8375, or email: letsgetrunning@aol.com

Dave (Speedy) Dowd

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March 2018: A Bumper Crop!

March is always one of our busiest months for race results, but this year we have

excelled ourselves with more age group wins than ever, as well as a 3rd place

overall! What is even more exciting however, is how well our newcomers are doing

with some remarkable performances from Sole Sisters and Sole Misters alike.

4th March: Logicom Marathon Events

This is always a great day for Paphos, and a great day for Paphos Running Club, this year being no exception.

The Marathon started at Aphrodite’s Rock at 07:30, with three of our members competing. Simon Rogers stormed around to 15th place overall in a time of 3h:18m:13s, with Chris Coleman again winning his age group in a splendid 3h:43m:01s, and Anthi Demetriou backing up with a creditable 4h:40m:30s

The Half Marathon was heavily subscribed but saw Lee Hinton deliver a fine 1h:56m:32s (which was comfortably ahead of local competition), with Andy Bashford backing up with 2h:24m:23s.

The 10km was our most interesting event, with many of our new “Sole Sister” and “Sole Mister” members competing for the first time ever.

Most notable performers were Allan Devereux and Katie Van-Ackeren. Allan, in his first ever

Winner Chris Coleman

Race, positively scampered around the course well inside his target time, recording a

very respectable 48m:33s, impressively overhauling many experienced club runners

in the last few kilometers.

Katie performed a very similar feat in her first ever race by beating her own target

time to finish in a very determined 58m:23s.

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Other good performances included Susan Baugh 1h:00m:10s; Linda Tomlinson

1h:02m:49s; John Williams 1h:03m:36s; Alain Collignon 1h:07m:43s; Susan Habib

1h:09m:38s; Collette Levine 1h:12m:47s; and Jackie Rushworth 1h:20m:32s.

The 5km Fun Run was also well attended, and saw Karen Guttridge return a

creditable 36m:42s, and Carol Ackerley backing up with 46m:02s.

10th March: Tala 6km

The first ever running of this race was won by the ever popular Ioannis Arresti, but with eight of us also competing, we did extremely well to win three age groups outright, and to gain second place in three others.

Chris Coleman, Anthi Demetriou and Sue Cordrey all won their age groups, with Nigel Radcliffe, Janet Sutherland and Ronnie Hordell picking up second places in their age groups. Karen Guttridge and Alain Collignon provided good back up but narrowly missed out on individual honours.

18th March: Limassol Marathon Events

With several of our top runners abroad or out of action for other reasons, Hannah

Howard turned in a scintillating 1 hour 28 minutes to take 3rd place overall in the

ladies Half Marathon – a great performance Hannah!

Christmas Spirit?

A guy walks into a hardware store and asks to buy a bottle of meths. The shopkeeper says he is not going to sell it to him because he has seen the guy drinking in the park so he knows he is an alcoholic.

The guy explains he is trying to turn his life around and has just started his own decorating business, so needs the meths for his work, but nobody is giving him a chance.

The shopkeeper relents and wishing the guy good luck, sells him the meths, at which point the guy says:

"You haven't got a cold one, have you?"

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April 2018: Mayhem Mud and A Clean Sweep!

Our winning ways continue as we tackled a tough assault course one day, and the very next day saw all eight of our entrants in the International Paphos Triathlon winning medals!

Limassol Legion “Run” 14 April

Sixteen members spent a hilarious three hours successfully completing this tough assault course with obstacles 6 metres high, deep mud, barbed wire, ice baths, high walls, ropes, tunnels, etc., and all survived (virtually) unscathed!

15 April: Paphos Triathlon

Eight members competed against almost 200 other entrants, including Elite athletes from all over Europe and beyond, yet we all made it onto the podium in our respective categories!

In the Sprint event our Sole Sisters Relay Team (Bridget Daley, Janet Sutherland, Annette Barriff) won their category, with Gill Walton second in the solo category.

In the Olympic event our relay team (Monica Williams, Steelie, Allan Devereux) came third in their category, with ex-paratrooper Nic Sutherland second in the solo category, completing our clean sweep of medals.

Sole Sisters

This month twelve Sole Sisters “graduated” with medals and certificates for completing a 5km run. See our Social media to find out more about these very successfull non-competitive health initiatives, and news of other activities.

Second Place Gill Walton

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May 2018: A Record Breaking Month!

With several newer members now entering races, May was a record breaking month in which we won over 20 trophies, yet the main highlight was our first “Come And Try It” (CATI) event on 21st May.

A Few Notable Results:

• Nic Sutherland won his age group in the Xterra Triathlon!

• Septuagenarian Dave Dowd ran an incredible 42 min 10km to win his age group!

• Katie van Ackeren and both her children won trophies!

• Over 20 members ran the Paphos Round winning 10 trophies!

• Margaret, Sue, and Ronnie came 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the same event!

21st May: Come-And-Try-It (CATI)

Our inaugural CATI event offered several short courses with puzzles along the way, eg.: “Which is further North - Paris or Chicago?”, plus a children’s string event, followed by prizes and refreshments.

The string course had kids following a string searching for dangerous animals (cuddly toys) lurking in the undergrowth.

The 30+ temperatures were tough, but everyone had a great day out, enjoying the format, the hot dogs, and the fun-filled atmosphere.

Watch this space for our next CATI event!

A Clean Sweep! L to R - Sue, Margaret, Ronnie

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June 2018: Our Most Successful Year Ever!

As PRC grows, our success at all levels, including local 5km runs, Olympic distance Triathlons, and International ultra-marathons, follows suit. Some highlights this month were:

3rd June Paphos Nautical Club Triathlon

Gill Walton repeated her strong performance of last month to finish 2nd in her category, with the team of Nic and Janet Sutherland coming 3rd in theirs.

9th June Pegeia Runs

In sweltering conditions we scooped 6 age group awards, including 4 wins, a 2nd and a 3rd place, won by Diana Taylor, Sue Baugh, Sue Habib, Dave Dowd, Nic Sutherland and Allan Deveraux respectively.

10th June Comrades Marathon South Africa

Septuagenarian Chris Coleman was faster than 16,000 of the 19,000 athletes in this prestigious 90km International “Ultimate Human Race” from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, beating 9 hours for a Bill Rowan medal, also being the fastest over 70 finisher!

17th June Pikni Relays

This not-to-be-missed annual celebration with BBQ, was close-fought by more than 30 competitors aged 7 to over 70, in 7 mixed ability

Determination Brings Success

teams, with twice that number in attendance, contributing to the great party atmosphere. Organiser Ian Hines is seen here demonstrating one of our core values.

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July 2018 Too Hot to Trot!

As the mercury rises, events become scarce in Cyprus, but we don’t stop training or racing, we simply look further afield, adjust our schedules to run at dawn or in the dead of night, and of course . . . . . eat Ice Cream!

For example, Nigel Radcliffe ran the “Under The Moon” Nicosia half marathon recently, finishing in just over 2 hours, despite falling several times in the dark!

Cooler Climes

In the UK, Ian Hines will be running the Lakeland 50 mile event near Coniston; Chris Coleman the North Downs Way 100 mile event, and Simon Rogers the Roseland 100 kilometre event along the Cornish Coastal path.

To avoid the heat, these 3 stalwarts have foregone their beauty sleep to complete long training runs on the Akamas at dead of night, carrying torches, energy bars and re-hydration drinks, or have been out running long before breakfast.

8th July Paphos

One local race was in memory of the fallen soldier, and despite only fielding 8 runners due to holidays etc., we won 4 age group awards:

Dave Dowd 1st

Les Slater 1st

Janet Sutherland 1st

Nic Sutherland 3rd

Reward For a Nice Run!

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August 2018: Warning: May Contain Nuts!

It is common knowledge that people who increase their life span (and quality of life) through regular exercise are totally bonkers, yet we are proud that our membership includes a thriving contingent of such individuals!

4th/5th August: North Downs Way 100

One excellent example is Chris Coleman, who finished this 165km race in 25 hours, smashing the over 70 record by 21 minutes, despite negotiating 3,000 metres of climbing (including a load of stairs!), in 30°C heat.

Having spent 2 hours in aid stations cooling down, he was only moderately satisfied with his achievement, immediately resolving to beat 24 hours next year!

28th July: Lakeland Ultra-Marathon (50 mi.)

More “Normal” members, like Ian Hines, ran a mere 50 miles in under 15 hours with his son Tim in the Lakeland Ultra-Marathon race, pausing continually to admire the spectacular scenery!

5th August: Geroskipou

With many members away, we were delighted with four age group achievements:

Dave Dowd 1st Over 70

Lisa Gwynne 1st 60-70

Monica Williams 2nd 60-70

Thecla Strydom 2nd 50-60

Monica 2nd Lisa 1st

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September 2018: “I Run For One Dream”

17th September Paphos to Limassol Relay

The main highlights this month include a 77km relay run from Paphos to Limassol; our 5km “Breast of Friends” charity event; and our “Sole Sisters” autumn programme.

After a hot and hilly 6 hours maintaining a steady pace along the coast road, we reached MyMall in Limassol, where runners from all over Cyprus joined us so that we could all run together for the final few kilometres.

We completed the 77kms to the Limassol Municipality, to be welcomed by represent-atives from the charity "I Run for One Dream, I pay for One Wish".

Karen Gill and Angie

Starting 24th September “Sole Sisters” Programme

This very popular, non-competitive, Ladies-Only initiative in the Paphos area is for

any Lady of any age and any ability who wants to improve her fitness level, whether

to get in shape for Christmas parties, or simply to enjoy sociable fun with like-minded

“Sole Sisters”.

We meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 9 weeks at 09:30am in Coral Bay. Contact Sue Cordrey on the number below, or email: letsgetrunning@aol.com

6th October “Breast of Friends” 5km Run/Walk

Our not-to-be-missed event has music and warm-up routines by Carol Harvey, so come and support this Breast Cancer Charity, by running, walking or shuffling from the harbour at 3pm to the Elysium Hotel and back. Registration from 2pm.

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October 2018: “Breast of Friends”

On 6th October we were delighted with the support we received for our first ever

charity event. About 150 participants walked, jogged and ran along the coastal path

from the Harbour towards the Elysium Hotel and back, raising a total of around

€3,000 for the “Breast of Friends” charity, which supports breast cancer patients in

Cyprus.

With a carnival atmosphere on the day, even serious runners wore something outlandishly pink, as we can see from this photo of Allan Devereux’s capacious pink Bra, here being congratulated for finally learning how to dress himself that morning, and of course for coming second in the event, beaten only by PRC club-mate Tim William Smith.

Notable Race Results

Chris Coleman recorded the 4th fastest UK over 70’s marathon this year; Hannah Howard ran 1h:27m:30s in the Common-wealth Games Half-Marathon; Janet Sutherland was 2nd lady in the tough 14km Statos Ayios Fotios cross-country race.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, our

Janet and Allan

indomitable ex-paratrooper Nic Sutherland completed the grueling “Paras” 10-mile UK competition, wearing boots and army fatigues, with a 36lb rucksack on his back, which for some strange reason he has nick-named “Bergan”! (Yes, we know, completely bonkers!)

“Sole Sisters”

Our ladies-only non-competitive get fit programme has again proved very popular,

so to find out more contact Sue Cordrey, or email: letsgetrunning@aol.com

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November 2018: A Busy Month!

Reporting only highlights therefore, which includes the €3,300 contribution from

our “Breast of Friends” Charity run, for which we received a Certificate of

Appreciation.

4th November Limassol Sprint Triathlon

The wind was so strong that the swim had to be switched to a run, and the bike course was super-fast one way and super-slow the other way.

Many struggled towards the end of the bike ride, but not Gill Walton, who got stronger as the day progressed, overhauling many others towards the end to finish 4th in her age group.

25th November

Cyprus International 4-day Overall Result

This very tough 4-day event includes a 6km time trial around Coral Bay; an 11 km

uphill challenge from sea level to Pano Arodes via the Avakas gorge; a hilly off-road

Half-Marathon from Neo Chorio back down past Lara Beach; and a 10km road race

based in Paphos harbour.

Against very tough International competition we were delighted to win 3rd place in

the Ladies team event:

Hannah Howard )

Abi Gooch ) 3rd Ladies Team

Kassia Gardner )

We also backed that up with some very good individual performances:

Mark Hayter 28th 3:34:06

Hannah Howard 44th 3:44:16 (1st Senior Lady)

Jonathan Kew 50th 3:47:53

Abi Gooch 66th 3:59:15

Kassia Gardner 133rd 4:48:56

Colin Thatcher 153rd 5:04:37

Andy Bashford 200th 5:47:03

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Cyprus International 4 day 10km run

The last day was also open to runners as a single day event, using a 10km course

starting and finishing in the harbour:

Hannah Howard 42:15 1st Senior Lady

Janet Sutherland 47:48 (PB) 1st (50+)

Lisa Gwynne 51:51 1st (65+)

Allan Devereux 46:30 (PB)

Sue Baugh 59:08 (PB)

Mark Hayter 39:54

Kevin Baskott 42:37

Abi Gooch 43:37

Noel O’Dowd 48:49

Kassia Gardner 52:25

Andy Bashford 61:25

Colin Thatcher 64:36

Alain Collington 67:52

Aphrodite Half-Marathon

The 21km course out and back from the Gerouskipou Stadium via Paphos Harbour, saw Dave Dowd deliver a blistering performance to win his age group.

Shunning the easier 10km race, Thecla Strydom and Alexey Izyumov bravely tackled their first-ever Half Marathon. Both recorded respectable performances after only one year in the sport.

Dave Dowd 1:35:52 1st (70+)

Thecla Strydom 2:15:15 (PB)

Alexey Izyumov 2:20:49 (PB)

Here we see a very determined Thecla gritting her teeth in the final few kilometers

Thecla Strydom

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December 2018: New Year – New Diversity

The last two years have been our most successful years ever, and 2019

promises to be even more successful, with our very popular Sole Sisters

initiatives having had a very positive effect on the whole club. We now

have more members and therefore more diverse interests, not just

confined to running.

Fancy Dress

Obviously we do run, and very successful we are at it too, on both local and

International stages, but our prowess on two feet is not all that defines us.

We are a very sociable club with frequent dinner dates and theatre trips, but we also ride bikes, go swimming, walking, playing tennis, sailing, paddling canoes and other craft, and tackle ultra-marathons and obstacle course challenges.

Our most recent club event however, was our annual fancy dress fun run and here we see Cruella looking very pleased with herself at finding her next pair of white mittens!

Sole Sisters

The next wave of this very successful, non-competitive fitness initiative for ladies between 18 and 80 launches soon, so if you fancy shedding Christmas Kilograms in the company of like-minded Sisters, contact Sue Cordrey on the number below, or email:

letsgetrunning@aol.com

Titch and Cruella (AKA Lisa)

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Bikes: Renting a bike in Cyprus is expensive, but we now have available a small

network of members with “spare” bikes who are happy to make them

available to trusted PRC club members and associates.

All the bikes are in good working order and are checked regularly.

The logistics are also very simple, with no deposits and no insurance charges, just a small voluntary fee to cover wear and tear.

Helmets, pumps, tyre levers and spare inner tubes are provided, so to find out more contact Steelie:

radfordmill@aol.com

Club Contacts:

See our Social media for news of our activities, or better still, come along

08:00am any Saturday to Coral Bay Bus Terminus for a mixed abilities run,

then a leisurely breakfast in the nearby Frog and Toad.

www.paphosrunningclub.org

letsgetrunning@aol.com

Facebook: Paphos Running Club

Contacts: Sue Cordrey +357-9763-8375

Ian Hines +357-9652-0630